7.2m Pseudoephedrine Based Tablets Found Missing In Udon Thani

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7.2m tablets found missing in Udon Thani

Seksanti Kanlayanawisut,

Ekkapong Praditpong

The Nation

Hospital director transferred; two pharmacy officials held in Chiang Mai

UDON THANI: -- Dr Pichat Chalermdolyuthana, director of the Central Udon Thani Hospital, was transferred to the provincial public health office on April 12, as the Public Health Ministry prepares to set up a factfinding panel to look into missing pseudoephedrine based tablets, Udon Thani Public Health official Dr Sanchai Piyapongkul said yesterday.

The move follows the discovery of 7.2 million cold tablets having gone missing from the hospital since 2010, while hospital pharmacist Somchai Saekhow, 41 - who is on the run and reportedly in Laos - remains elusive. The case has been taken over by the Department Special Investigation (DSI).

Meanwhile, Sanchai said he had instructed all community hospitals to reclaim pseudoephedrinebased cold medicines from healthcare units at the tambon level.

In Chiang Mai's Muang district, two pharmacy salespersons were arrested for allegedly stealing more than 300,000 tablets from Central Memorial Hospital. The suspects maintain their innocence.

Following the recent arrest of a Central Memorial Hospital official, Phitsinee Prasertsri, for allegedly stealing 5,000 pseudoephedrine tablets and forging purchase orders for another 370,000 tablets, the Region 5 Provincial Police announced the arrests of pharmacy salespersons Suparada Thongthiang and Mayuree Luangkreung. They are accused of knowing about Phitsinee's forgery and hence face charges of selling a "Psychotropic Substance Schedule 2" without permission as well as conspiring to forge documents.

However, the two suspects insist that they had sold the medicines to Phitsinee legally and that they had no knowledge about the crime or the forgery. Police have said that they will continue arresting other suspects in relation to this case and have the DSI take it up as well. Police officials are also investigating to see if this case is linked to the dumping of empty cold pill packages in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng district and if any drugtrafficking gangs were involved.

An informed source said that police had received an intelligence report that a closeaide of an influential figure in Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district had taken the medicines and removed them from their packages before sending the tablets across the border to a narcoticsmaking factory in a neighbouring country.

As part of the ongoing investigation into coldtablet supplies missing from hospitals, Public Health Ministry's deputy permanentsecretary Dr Sopon Mekthon yesterday told DSI investigators about the system used to control hospitals' prescriptions and the officials involved.

Sopon said the ministry had found suspicious activity in eight staterun hospitals and that disciplinary probes were ongoing, while some officials had been transferred to inactive posts. The investigation, which so far has not found any highranking officials being involved, should be completed within the legal frame of six months.

DSI Bureau of Security Crime 3 director, Pol LtColonel Saard Sunthorn, said the DSI would summon 11 hospital directors and clinic owners to testify today and tomorrow. A DSI source said the department was ready to detain hospital medicine dispensing officials in order to get information leading to bigger fish.

-- The Nation 2012-04-19

[noitom]

To get information leading to "bigger fish." Fat chance.

[kawaiimomo]

Police officials are also investigating to see if this case is linked to the dumping of empty cold pill packages in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng district and if any drugtrafficking gangs were involved.

drugtrafficking involved? No way, they just wanted to set up a pharmacy :-P

[scorecard]

To get information leading to "bigger fish." Fat chance.

Yes, interesting, In the paynasters war on drugs no big fish, not even medium big fish was names or investigated, and it seems to be the same now with chalerms war on drugs.

It's obvious that there will be no real impact on drugs until several big fish are caught, in jail and the key thrown away,

How do you achieve that, well onw eay would be to pay guys like this hospital director (pick the right guy of course) and pay him 100million to squeal plus a new identity for family etc.

So why doesn't somethng like this happen? What a silly question, I already know the answer.

[pisico]

C'mon guys! who hasn't misplaced 7.2 million of pseudoephedrine tablets at one time or another?

Makes you wonder who did not get the promised share.

[atyclb]

The other day I went to buy some made in Thailand tablets for asthma. Normal price most everywhere 1 baht/ each and I have bought them often at this pharmacy.

Asked for 60 tablets (as usual) lady behind counter told me 2 baht/tablet. I kept calm and reminded her of the above. No problem, same price as before.

The lady was well dressed, well spoken, light complexion. I ask myself where is integrity, honor, ethics? A pharmacist graduates as Doctor of Pharmacy. Needs to get through some heavy courses including organic and biochem, pharmacology, likely physiology, anatomy. The sudafed will return as methamphetamine and damage/destroy many lives, perhaps their own children or relatives will become addicted. It will generate violent crime and people will be killed, be they innocent or not.

Very very sad.

Then I thought about the millions of sudafed tablets missing and that answered my question. There may be pockets of integrity but honestly cheating, scamming, corruption is inseparable from the normal function of a society.

[slapout]

It is utterly amazing how this country has continued to outwardly appear to operate in somewhat a nomal/expected manner, while so much is being stolen, diverted, skimmed, etc, through out the entire system.

[CantSpell]

7.2 millions tabs....

Even at 1 Baht each, makes a nice dough

Khun Dr with his nice "shinny" shirt probably asked more than 1 Baht...

[belg]

7.2 million tablets in 1.5 years and nobody that asked questions about that before, nice accounting overthere...

i guess that is the same as whole villages in old greece that suddenly are full of blind and invalid people (to teach tax and benefits)

[louse1953]

The other day I went to buy some made in Thailand tablets for asthma. Normal price most everywhere 1 baht/ each and I have bought them often at this pharmacy.

Asked for 60 tablets (as usual) lady behind counter told me 2 baht/tablet. I kept calm and reminded her of the above. No problem, same price as before.

The lady was well dressed, well spoken, light complexion. I ask myself where is integrity, honor, ethics? A pharmacist graduates as Doctor of Pharmacy. Needs to get through some heavy courses including organic and biochem, pharmacology, likely physiology, anatomy. The sudafed will return as methamphetamine and damage/destroy many lives, perhaps their own children or relatives will become addicted. It will generate violent crime and people will be killed, be they innocent or not.

Very very sad.

Then I thought about the millions of sudafed tablets missing and that answered my question. There may be pockets of integrity but honestly cheating, scamming, corruption is inseparable from the normal function of a society.

Whats light complexion got to do with anything?What colour were her undies?

[atyclb]

The other day I went to buy some made in Thailand tablets for asthma. Normal price most everywhere 1 baht/ each and I have bought them often at this pharmacy.

Asked for 60 tablets (as usual) lady behind counter told me 2 baht/tablet. I kept calm and reminded her of the above. No problem, same price as before.

The lady was well dressed, well spoken, light complexion. I ask myself where is integrity, honor, ethics? A pharmacist graduates as Doctor of Pharmacy. Needs to get through some heavy courses including organic and biochem, pharmacology, likely physiology, anatomy. The sudafed will return as methamphetamine and damage/destroy many lives, perhaps their own children or relatives will become addicted. It will generate violent crime and people will be killed, be they innocent or not.

Very very sad.

Then I thought about the millions of sudafed tablets missing and that answered my question. There may be pockets of integrity but honestly cheating, scamming, corruption is inseparable from the normal function of a society.

Whats light complexion got to do with anything?What colour were her undies?

Because within Thai society, light complexion is associated with higher social status, higher education.

Do you have a URL for a panty color honor/integrity scale?